Railway-switch



(No Model.)

B. B. SHORT.

RAILWAY SWITCH. v No. 352,579. PatentedNov. 16.1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. SHORT, OF HANNA, INDIANA.

RAILWAY- SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,579, dated November 16, 1886.

Application filed August 9, 1886.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known thatI, ROBERT B. SHORT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hanna, in the county of La Porto and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-switches; and it consists of the peculiar combination and novel construction and arrangement of the various parts for service, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claim.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved railway-switch ofsimple and durable construction, the parts of which are so constructed and arranged that the rails of the main track are allowed to remain solid or unbroken at the points where the shifting rails of the siding or side track cross the same, and thereby avoid to a very great extent the derailment of the train,which is not unfrequently caused by the shifting rails of the main track improperly aligning with the said main track in devices of this class as heretofore constructed.

In the drawings hereto annexed, which illustrate a railway-switch embodying my invention, Figure l is a top plan view showing the main track clear in full lines and the shifting siding and switch rails connected with the side track in dotted lines. Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical transverse sectional views through the switch on the line 00 no of Fig. 1, showing the position of the shifting siding-rails set for main and side tracks, respectively. Figs. 4 and 5 are detached perspective views of the shifting side-track rails.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, A and Adesignate the rails of the main track; which are rigidly aflixed to the ties B in any suitable manner, and O G the rigid rails of the side track, that are disposed in diagonal lines with relation to the main track, as is usual.

D D designate the shifting switch-rails, which are connected together by a tie-bar, d, and shiited simultaneously, and these rails are adapted to align or coincide with the rails A A of the main track, or with the rails O O of Serial No. 210,456. (No model.)

the side track, to adapt a train to pass from the main to side track. The diagonal rail 0 of the side track is arranged between the maintrack rails and on suhst antially the same plane or level,with its ends terminating at short distance to one side of the rails'A A",-and the rail 0 is arranged outside of the rail A, with one end thereof terminating a short distance from thesame. This side-track rail 0 is gradually elevated above the plane of the maintrack rails by means of chairs 0, which are of graduallyincreasing thickness, and are affixed to the ties by the usual means.

E F designate the shifting side-track rails, which are shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5. The shifting rail E is arranged between the main-track rails, and it is adapted to form a continuation of the side track rail O,.and this rail is pivoted at its end contiguous to the adjoining end of the rail 0, as at c, to a chair, d. The opposite or free end of the said shifting rail is recessed or cut away on the lower portion of one of its sides, as at e, and this cutaway portion extends for a suitable length, and gradually decreases in width from the outer end toward the rear end, or at the point where it terminates. The cut-away portion is formed or made on the lower side of the rail only, so as toleave the head or ball thereof solid, and the outer free end of the said shifting rail rests on or is supported by chairs 0, of gradually-increasing thickness, to adapt the upper side of the free end of the shifting rail to be elevated above the plane of the corresponding side of the main-track rails. The shifting rail F is arranged on the outside of the main-track rails A A, and is supported on chairs f, which elevate it above the plane of the main-track rails and on the plane of the shifting rail E, so that when the shifting rails E F align over the main-track rail A a train can pass over the said rails E F and be elevated thereby above the main-track rail A, so that the flanges of its wheels will not come in contact with the rail A. The shifting rail F is cut away on the lower portion of one of its sides, as at f, similarly to the cut-out portion 0 of the rail E, and when these rails E F align with each the cut-out portions or beveled sides e f bear against opposite sides of the rail A, while their heads or balls extend IOO or project over the upper surface of the rail A, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

G designates a guard-rail affixed to the chairs alongside of the side-track rail 0 and on the same height or elevation.

I J designate similar guard-rails, which are shorter, however, than the rail G, and these rails are arranged on opposite sides of the main-track rail A, and one in rear of the other, so that the free ends of the shifting rails E F are adapted to come in contact with the ends of the rails I .I, respecti vely, when the main line is open. The shifting rails are connected for simultaneous operation by means which I will now proceed to describe.

K designates a rock-shaft, which is journaled in suitable bearings, is, affixed to the ends of the ties by the usual spikes. One end of this rock-shaft has a crank, Z. to which is connected a link, 1, that is pivoted to the tie-bar connecting the rails DD, and the other end of the said rock-shaft has a cross bar or head, m, to the ends of which are pivotally connected links M N. The inner end of the link M is secured to a depending plate, m, on the free end of the shifting rail E, and the corresponding end of the linkNpasses through an opening in the depending plate n of the free end of the rail F, the said inner end of the link N having a stop, n, between which and the plate n is interposed acoiled spring, nflwhieh serves as a cushion to the rail Fin adjusting the latteragainst the rail A.

The operation of my inventionis as follows: To side-track a train from the main track the rock-shaft is oscillated by a hand-lever or other device to simultaneously shift the rails D D to align with the rails C O, and the shifting rails E F to project over and meet or abut together at their free ends over the track-rail 40 A, thereby causing the rails D and O to align and the rails D, O, E, and F, thus providing safe means for a train to pass from the main to the side track. To permit a train to pass along themain track the rock-shaft is reversed to shift the rails D D in line with the maintrack rails AA, and the railsE F in line with their guard-rails I J, aswill be readily seen.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of a shifting rail having a depending plate, a rock-shaft, a rod intermediate of the rockshat't and plate and passing through the latter, a collar on the rod, and a cushion spring interposed between the collar and plate, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT B. SHORT.

Witnesses:

RICHARD O. CRANDALL, LEONIDAS A. COLE. 

